Order Up
by sleepyariel
Summary: Cas has been working at Dean's restaurant for a while but they've never hung out... Until tonight with Sam and Gabe.


Castiel had just began his job at 'Dean's Roadhouse' a few weeks ago and he was already settling in to the flow of things. His culinary skills weren't wasted on the delicious burgers and pastas and fries sold here; the menu being somewhat unorthodox, but very delicious, nonetheless. Dean was perusing around the restaurant, checking up on everyone and initiating small talk.

He came towards Cas with a grin, saying, 'So, are you feeling pretty good about workin' here so far?'

'The people are great and I love cooking so I can't complain. Plus, you're a pretty great boss.'

'And you're the best chef in the world,' he said with a wink. Castiel blushed and averted his eyes. He wasn't going to deny thinking about Dean's charm and good looks but he decided to not dwell on any of these feelings. Dean obviously had great luck with women and always had a date when he wanted one.

Dean shuffled a bit awkwardly and then determined himself to do something with a steely gaze into Cas's eyes. 'So, me and Sam and Gabe-you know Gabriel, right? Brown hair and always hangs around Sam? Anyway, we're going out for drinks later tonight, and I was just wondering... would you like to join us?' Dean flashed his signature grin and Castiel's stomach did a little lurch. He was probably hungry or nervous.

Cas considered his plans but, as always, he had none other than reading and writing poetry. 'I'd love to join you guys, but can someone pick me up? I don't like showing up to places alone...' he said with slight embarrassment. Showing up alone always made him feel awkward. It was bad enough telling people these things, but thankfully, Dean seemed unfazed.

Dean's face visibly brightened, he hadn't expected Cas to actually take him up on the offer. 'Well, that's a relief, I thought you would definitely turn me down. And yea, man, I know the feeling, so I can definitely swing by and pick you up. What's your address?'

Cas scribbled down the apartment address, his room number, and directions because it was tough to find.

'See you tonight then! I'll get you at 10,' Dean exclaimed.

* * *

When Cas was done with work, it was around eight, which gave him enough time to drive home and take a shower. Then, he attempted to write poetry, but was frustrated because all the words were wrong. Usually, it was about fears or the beauty of the world, but tonight, he was trying to write about love. He had never experienced love so why try writing about it? The only relationship he'd been in was with a girl from highschool that he never really liked. Trying to describe love was like chasing a cloud, no color would do, except maybe the red of a blush and sprinkling of freckles but how would he describe it? What did he know about the feelings behind it, anyways? He finally resigned to a nap so as to not completely ruin his evening.

* * *

'Smoke on the Water' was a muffled ringing in his ears as he blinked and looked around in search of the sound. He glanced at the clock and felt an immediate stab of anxiety as he picked up his phone. 'Oh god, Dean, I'm so sorry, I didn't know it was already ten thirty. I accidentally fell asleep and just…' he trailed off with worried anticipation. His friendship with Dean and Sam was going pretty well so far, and it was just like him to screw it all up like this.

Dean was just laughing into the airwaves. 'Don't worry, man, I told Sam and Gabe to meet us up at eleven thirty, anyway. I'm outside your door, it's 13B, right?'

A fluttered shock went through Cas as he tried to think of a reason why Dean would want to hang out with Cas alone. Maybe to just take an edge off the awkwardness and get to know him a bit more? He started running towards the door and said, 'Yeah, I'll be right there. One sec.'

When he opened the door, Dean was sitting against the opposite wall and smiled up at him, his hair slightly ruffled and wearing his signature plaid and leather combo. He was wearing an amulet of sorts, but Cas couldn't quite see what it was except for its golden color.

Castiel's hair was a windblown mess and he didn't even want to think about his now wrinkled clothes and possible drool. But to Dean, he looked breathtaking. Cas's eyes shone down onto Dean and his gentle lips eased into a smile. He was almost six foot and looked like he went to the gym at least once or twice a week. He was easy to look at, but the glances had to be short and sweet, or else there was a beautiful look of confusion on Castiel's face. His eyebrows pulling together and upward and his eyes squinting as they so often did.

Dean lifted himself up and said jokingly, 'Good morning, Sleeping Beauty.'

Cas chuckled and tried to smooth out his shirt, glancing back inside. 'You should probably come in while I finish getting ready.'

Dean looked around the slightly messy apartment, taking in the stacks upon stacks of CDs in the corner. There were crumpled up pieces of paper scattered in and around the trash, and there was a laptop set on the couch, which seemed a good place as any to sit. This was like a private glance into Cas's life. He spent all his time here and probably has filled every nook and cranny with memories. Dean wondered about the crumpled notes and how Cas could be writing a book or some poetry. The coffee table was stained with spilt drinks and had about four cups on it with various amounts of tea in them, notebooks and pens, and a few books. He pulled up a dark blanket to his chest and started humming along to 'Back in Black' by AC/DC, which was playing quietly from the CD player in the corner.

'Getting comfortable,' Cas questioned, jokingly, as he re-entered the room from the bedroom to Dean's left.

'Just waiting on this guy who is taking forever to get ready to hang out with me,' Dean said, laughing, 'I'd almost think that he was stalling or something.'

'Well, I'm ready now so let's get going!'

'Hey, wait,' Dean hesitated, 'maybe we could hang out here for a bit? We still have time before 11:30.'

Cas looked around as if expecting something better than his shabby apartment. 'Alright then, wanna pick out some music from the corner and we can just chill?'

Dean smiled a bit and shuffled over to the CD player, trailing the blanket behind him like how little children wear them as capes. While he was looking at Cas's amazing music selection, most of them were classics, although some of them Dean had never heard before, he started reminiscing about his childhood and Sam. He laughed coarsely, 'Y'know, me and Sammy used to dress up in our Superman and Batman costumes, I was obviously Superman.'

Cas interjected with a grin, 'I would have thought you'd be Batman, since you wear black most the time, anyway.'

'Haha, real funny, Cas,' he said sarcastically, 'And for your information, I woulda been an amazing Batman. But we used to dress up all the time and just run around in our costumes until they got completely dirty. One day, we decided to see the yard from the roof. It was a little difficult to climb up onto it but it was worth it. It was so pretty up there, we felt invincible. I decided that wearing my Superman costume could make me fly, so I took a flying leap off the roof and braced for impact. Sam did too obviously because he jumped off after me a minute later. He started running towards the edge of the roof, his feet pounding on the shingles. Before I even knew what was happening, I saw him soaring into the air, letting the wind embrace him. The next thing I heard was a sickening crunch and a moan or two of pain. He didn't realize that I didn't actually fly and when you jump off of things you're supposed to either roll or brace your legs. He hit the ground hard, belly first. Suddenly, I was running the few feet towards Sam to see if he was okay, which he obviously wasn't. I felt like I was about to throw up my PB&J from earlier.'

Dean looked over to Cas, after picking up a CD by some guy named Landon Pigg. The cover was interesting and seemed sweet, with the hit song obviously being 'Falling in Love at a Coffeeshop.' Cas nodded at the selection, and Dean popped it in and pressed play; tonight was a night for sappiness. It was slow, sweet, and full of emotion, the notes drifting through the air lazily and surrounding the men with warmth and a yearning in their hearts. Dean sat down next to Cas on the couch, facing him and continuing the story, 'He'd broken his arm. I remember teasing him about it later, saying it was his fault because everyone knows that Batman can't fly!'

There was a surprised laughter from Castiel, not expecting the sudden humor with the way the story was headed. Dean just smiled, obviously pleased with himself. 'After that, I rode him down to the ER on my handlebars, feeling guilty as ever and worried about Sammy. I swear, without me around all the time, Sam would have been in huge trouble.'

Cas looked perplexed for a minute, running through the story again in his head and realizing the obvious missing component. 'Where was your mom and dad through all of this?'

Dean had been dreading the question, but forged ahead anyway. 'My mom died when I was four…' he hesitated, hating the story, 'our old house caught on fire and she was stuck in her room. Dad told me to grab my brother and get out of there. He kept screaming about the ceiling and was trying to get her out of the room for a while before it was too late and he came out to the firefighters...' Dean sighed longingly. 'And my dad has always been a complete deadbeat; never caring about me and Sammy's well being, only about us following orders.'

Cas reached out to his shoulder and looked into Dean's bright eyes, glimmering with tears. 'I'm so sorry... that must have been so hard on you.'

'I've had some time to deal with it; I'm okay...' he said. Dean didn't want to turn this night into a sad one. 'Want to head over to the bar now?'

Cas gave a knowing smile and nodded towards the door, 'Okay lets head out then.'

They climbed into Dean's stunning black Impala and drove off without a sputter towards Harry's Bar and Grill to meet Sam and Gabriel.


End file.
